There are people who get news of an imminent peace agreement and call a quiet press conference. Donald Trump got news of an imminent peace agreement and announced it at a tele-rally for Burt Jones, the Republican candidate for governor of Georgia.
The sequence of events on Thursday requires some patience. The U.S. military was fully postured and, according to reporting cited by Breitbart, just three hours away from launching another round of strikes against Iran. Then Trump posted on Truth Social that he had canceled the strikes, that discussions had been elevated to the highest levels of Iranian leadership, and that all parties had approved the contours of an agreement. The naval blockade would remain in place. A signing ceremony was to be announced shortly. Time and place: TBD.
Hours later, speaking at the Georgia virtual rally, Trump declared the war over. “I don’t know if you heard, but we ended the war with Iran today and they have agreed never to have a nuclear weapon,” he told supporters. He called it “a great deal” and said the signing might happen in Europe “as soon as this weekend.”
Iran’s foreign ministry said no deal had been finalized. A senior Iranian official told MS NOW that Iran had not agreed to any memorandum of understanding. Israeli sources told Channel 12 that Netanyahu was not informed in advance and does not recognize reaching an agreement. The Israeli Prime Minister’s office later issued a softer statement expressing appreciation for Trump’s commitment to a ceasefire, which is not the same as endorsing the deal.
Trump had promised, earlier that same morning, to hit Iran “bigger and harder” than ever that evening. He had said he would seize Kharg Island. He had told Fox and Friends the situation was “coming together.” The military was three hours out.
The branding instinct runs faster than the diplomatic one. A deal may well materialize. But the announcement came at a Georgia governor rally, which is where you announce endorsements and local tax policy, not the end of an active shooting war with the world’s third-largest oil producer.
If the war is over, what exactly happened to the signing ceremony that was going to be announced shortly?
Sources
Breitbart: ‘We Ended the War’: Trump Touts Impending Iran Deal at Virtual Rally
Fox News: Trump says he’s canceled Iran strikes, adds potential deal-signing ‘to be announced shortly’
Breitbart: Report — U.S. Military Was 3 Hours from Iran Strike Before Trump Announced Deal Breakthrough
